More than a year after he was traded by the Raptors,听Pascal Siakam聽admits that he聽now has a deeper appreciation of what he accomplished while with Toronto.
In an episode of ”” podcast posted Wednesday, the fan favourite revealed his time in 海角社区官网went by so fast that he did not truly grasp how special the team was.
Drafted in 2016, Siakam was part of a group affectionately known as the Bench Mob. By the time the Raptors were making a championship run in 2019, he had stepped into the starting lineup and emerged as a rising star in the NBA Finals.
鈥淔or me personally, Game 1 of the Finals was, like, insane,鈥 he said, recalling the 118-109 victory in which he was the best player for the Raptors while scoring 32 points on 14-of-17 shooting. He also had eight rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really think of it. I鈥檓 just in it, just really playing 鈥 It鈥檚 one of those moments where I watch back and I鈥檓 like 鈥榦h my God, that was incredible.鈥 鈥
The Raptors went on to win the first franchise title, and Siakam won聽the league鈥檚 most improved player award.
"I'm thinking 'oh, we're gonna do this again. we're going right back.'" -- Pascal Siakam reflecting on appreciating the Raptors NBA title as he's gotten older 馃毃NEW YM3 TOMORROW WITH PASCAL SIAKAM AND ANDREW NEMBHARD 馃毃
鈥 TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree)
Looking back, Siakam, who turned 31 on Tuesday, said he didn鈥檛 realize how exceptional the run was when he was younger and just took the success 鈥渇or granted.鈥
The three-time NBA all-star was traded to Indiana in January 2024, but still offers financial support to education programs across Canada.
The three-time NBA all-star was traded to Indiana in January 2024, but still offers financial support to education programs across Canada.
鈥(I was) probably being a little arrogant, being in (my) third year and winning a championship, I鈥檓 thinking like 鈥榦h, we鈥檙e going to do this again,鈥 鈥 he said, noting he felt the team had enough talent to make multiple runs.
鈥淚 enjoyed it and celebrated it, but it wasn鈥檛 to the level that I feel like I should have. After going through the experiences I went through after that, the Bubble (in Florida) and the losing situations 鈥 I really appreciate it now 鈥 The most fun I ever had playing basketball.鈥
The Raptors never returned to the promised land. Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard left聽in free agency and, with COVID-19 disrupting the routine of the NBA, 海角社区官网lost to the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals as Siakam struggled mightily. 海角社区官网then missed the playoffs the following season while based in Tampa.聽
Siakam was an NBA all-star twice as a Raptor, before being traded聽to the Indiana Pacers last season聽as 海角社区官网embarked on a rebuilding process.
Looking back, Siakam said the level of talent on their championship run was 鈥渃razy,鈥 singling out players such as Fred VanVleet (now with the Houston Rockets) and the Los Angeles Clippers鈥 Norman Powell who weren’t even starters on that team.
He also credited coach Nick Nurse for mixing offensive and defensive schemes that weren鈥檛 common in the NBA. That was especially clear during the Milwaukee Bucks series, he said.
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鈥 TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree)
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鈥淵ou go over here and you switch, it鈥檚 Kawhi. You set a screen, it鈥檚 me. Then you set a screen, it鈥檚 Freddy or Marc (Gasol). And then it鈥檚 Serge (Ibaka). The defence was crazy,鈥 he said.
With the Pacers聽鈥 44-31, fourth in the East heading into Wednesday night 鈥 hoping for another deep run in the post-season (they lost to Boston in the conference final last year), Siakam is focused on instilling the 2019 Raptors鈥 mentality. He was joined on the podcast by Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard.聽
鈥淚n April, May and June, you want to be your best,鈥 he said, noting the ups and downs of the regular season are much more costly in the playoffs. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I try to get to the guys. We鈥檝e got to be consistent, work hard 鈥 pick at the right time. That鈥檚 what it is about winning a championship.鈥
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